Amy Remeikis

The Bar Association of Queensland has called for incoming Chief Justice Tim Carmody to step aside from the role.

The Council of the Bar Association, headed by Shane Doyle QC after Peter Davis stepped down as president on June 13 over the handling of the appointment, released a statement on Monday "respectfully" calling for Judge Carmody to "reconsider whether to take up the position of Chief Justice".

While acknowledging it was the sole responsibility of the government to make judicial appointments, the council said the selection and appointment of the new Chief Justice had become politicised and compromised the public's confidence in the court.

"The recent announcements of the Government’s selection of Judge Carmody as the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland, and the manner in which that decision has been promoted and defended, has resulted in widely held concerns about the appointment which are serving to damage the Supreme Court of Queensland and the public confidence in it," Mr Doyle said in a statement.

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"The Government’s decision, the processes employed and the manner in which it was promoted, did not have the support of the Bar Association, then or now.

"Many people now have questioned the Government’s decision and some have publicly invited Judge Carmody to refuse the high office for which the Government has selected him.

"The Bar Association also respectfully asks that he reconsider whether to take up the position of Chief Justice."

Judge Carmody is on leave from his position as Chief Magistrate until next month. He is due to be sworn in as Chief Justice in coming weeks.

The appointment saw the legal community once again pitted against the government.

Former Solicitor-General Walter Sofronoff publicly expressed his concerns regarding Judge Carmody's experience and links to the government before the appointment was made.

Mr Davis resigned following the appointment and Justice John Muir used an address to a Queensland Bar Association dinner to call for Judge Carmody to step aside for the good of the court, given the division over his promotion.

Despite the ongoing criticism, the government has not backed down.

Premier Campbell Newman said Judge Carmody was the "right person for the job".

And Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie has previously said his "unique blend of skills and experience" made him the most suitable candidate for the job.

5 comments so far

That's funny. It's done the opposite! The government's ham-fistedness has practically united a profession normally divided between struggling young barristers and suburban solicitors, and elite barristers and judges, and the usual political and social divides! In particular, a very conservative elite have choked on their cornflakes, and rightly so.

Commenter

G

Date and time

June 23, 2014, 1:21PM

Sadly, for Queensland, Justice Carmody not will step aside on Newman's watch.

Commenter

Marion says

Date and time

June 23, 2014, 1:49PM

If this was happening in Fiji or anywhere else in the Asia Pacific region, Queensland's Premier Campbell Newman and AGJarrod Bleijie would be jumping up and down and accusing these countries' leaders of corruption. Queensland have instead set the standard for Australia as the silence of AG Brandis, who hails from Queensland, and PM Tony Abbott are more than deafening; it suggests that the Australian government also agree to the appointment.

Commenter

Akari

Date and time

June 23, 2014, 2:11PM

We must wonder by what criterion does the Premier say that Mr Carmody "is the right person for the job." Either he doesn't know what the job is or he means something entirely different by 'right' from all those people who do know what the job is. As for Mr Bleiije a "unique blend of skills and experience" could apply to a newly arrived taxi driver..

Commenter

Ovid

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

June 23, 2014, 2:13PM

It is absolutely amazing that it has descended to this. The most incompetent government in living memory in any state or territory or federally, hands down.

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